Wrongful Death Claims

Wrongful death is a personal injury tort that holds an individual, group or corporation accountable for causing injury to another person. The primary goal of the tort is to provide relief to the plaintiff and deter the defendant from inflicting further harm to others.

The Pennsylvania Survival Act, allows the deceased’s estate to recover any damages the deceased would have provided to his or her family had he or she lived. This includes earnings, medical expenses, funeral expenses, estate administration expenses, and the survivor’s emotional pain and suffering.

In Pennsylvania the immediate family members (spouses, children and parents) have the right to pursue a wrongful death claim. The amount of damages awarded will depend on the plaintiff’s relationship to the deceased. The compensation for damages may include compensation for medical expenses, loss of future income, property damage, reimbursement for future services normally provided by the deceased and the loss of consortium, which is a spouse’s right to compensation, help and affection from the person who has died.

In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Cooper & Schaffer has represented the survivors of wrongful death victims including those having lost their lives as a result of a car accident, truck accident, defective product, and medical malpractice.

Although monetary damages cannot bring a loved one back, it can provide means for a family to continue to live in the fashion to which they were accustomed. It can also assure education expense for children, future medical and other necessities which allow one to deal with the difficulties of life and an uncertain emotional future.